FILE - In this Dec. 16, 2017, file photo, Emily Sweeney, of the United States, takes a curve during a World Cup luge event in Lake Placid, N.Y. Sweeney is one of three members of USA Luge's women's team that is headed to Pyeongchang, South Korea, for the winter Olympics. less

FILE - In this Dec. 16, 2017, file photo, Emily Sweeney, of the United States, takes a curve during a World Cup luge event in Lake Placid, N.Y. Sweeney is one of three members of USA Luge's women's team that is ... more

Anton Kushnir, of Belarus, reacts as he sees his score during the finals the men's freestyle World Cup aerials competition Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017, in Lake Placid, N.Y. Kushnir won the event. (AP Photo/Mel Evans) less

Anton Kushnir, of Belarus, reacts as he sees his score during the finals the men's freestyle World Cup aerials competition Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017, in Lake Placid, N.Y. Kushnir won the event. (AP Photo/Mel ... more

Photo: Mel Evans

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Snowmaking has produced a wintry scene atop the gondola at Gore, despite a lack of natural snow

Snowmaking has produced a wintry scene atop the gondola at Gore, despite a lack of natural snow

Photo: Rick Karlin

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Belleayre Mountain Ski Center in Ulster County, which is owned by the state, was not included in plans to provide capital upgrades to its sibling mountains of Gore and Whiteface. (Belleayre Mountain)

Belleayre Mountain Ski Center in Ulster County, which is owned by the state, was not included in plans to provide capital upgrades to its sibling mountains of Gore and Whiteface. (Belleayre Mountain)

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A Gore skier enjoys the early season snow. (Rick Karlin/Times Union)

A Gore skier enjoys the early season snow. (Rick Karlin/Times Union)

Photo: Rick Karlin

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Snow and winter games team up to give Olympic Authority boost

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LAKE PLACID — The state authority that runs the Adirondack's Olympic sports venues is doing better financially thanks to generous snowfalls and a renewed state commitment to renovate some aging facilities.

Recently released financial statements from the Olympic Regional Development Authority show operating revenue went up $7.3 million during the 2016-2017 winter season, most of which was made at Whiteface Mountain outside Lake Placid, Gore Mountain in North Creek and Belleayre Mountain in Ulster County. The ski centers were busier as snowfall in the Adirondacks topped 100 inches, which more than tripled the historic dry winter of 2015-2016.

This comes at a time when the Winter Olympics being held in South Korea next month is expected to boost revenue and interest in the ORDA facilities. In the coming weeks, Lake Placid will host events that are potential Olympic qualifiers for bobsled and skeleton teams that are currently not on the World Cup circuit.

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ORDA, a state-run authority which also runs the Olympic ski jump and training facilities in Lake Placid, was created in 1981 to preserve 1980 Winter Olympic facilities like the arena where the U.S. hockey team's Miracle on Ice match against Russia took place. Authority operating losses stood at $20.8 million when the 2016-2017 books were closed out last winter.

ORDA has said the 2015-2016 dry winter devastated its bottom line. But operating losses had notably increased in 2014, the same year a state Comptroller's report questioned some authority operations, like what auditors viewed as overly generous giveaways to event sponsors. The authority, in response, questioned the accuracy of the comptroller's estimates in that audit.

In January 2017, two days after a Times Union report on the authority's operating losses, the state announced it would provide up to $20 million to upgrade lodges at Whiteface and Gore, and build new attractions like "one of the longest zip lines in North America," according to a release a year ago from Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office.

However, in an email to the Times Union last week, ORDA said the zip line project at Whiteface and the announced restoration of Gore's original 1967 gondola will not be pursued. Authority CEO Mike Pratt did not respond to a request to be interviewed by the Times Union, instead answering written questions passed through an ORDA spokesman.

A new gondola dubbed "Catskill Thunder Gondola" was recently finished at Belleayre, but the state did not provide the status of other upgrades it had previously touted at that facility, like renovated lodges.

Belleayre, which was previously managed by the state Department of Environmental Conservation, was transferred to ORDA about five years ago.

The state already provides millions to keep the Olympic venues going, as revenues even in successful seasons would not cover the cost of running and maintaining the facilities.

In what was viewed by some as an unusual move, the state ordered the MTA to transfer $4.9 million it owed New York state directly to ORDA in March 2016 to help during the historic dry winter.

Officials in Lake Placid's surrounding communities have said that the authority is necessary to sustain the Adirondacks' economy, as it is also one of the region's largest employers.